Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-09-18
ne would 90 away to sea again,

Vs. :. foremastman, and look on home
her no more.
1T Fate was adverse to him, and the
4shing fiat OF the medical faculty was
1T never could he escape from his help
'uess-from the second childhood that
= ne upon him.
Life is not for ever, that is one COM
~ he would often mutter.
lie remsined much at home now on his
uct listlessly reading, or affecting to
cad, lle books that were sent to him
. N Ravensbourne Hall, and declined to
e his wheel-chai1 brought to him, as
nal, On the sunny days.
Once Amy observed that pretty but
.gN-hole she had prepared snd given him,
q bit of fern substituted for it; and
1t he was afterwards so moody and alb
t that she had to repeat her remarks,
en- he would start, and say:
~ beg your pardon-but what did you
say to me just now?"
1t used not to be thus with him or her :;
but she was not slow to guess the painful
reason.
"Why did you throw away my poor lit
tie fower-the very flower you asked me
for and put bit of fern in its placer" she
asked.
81 did not throw it away" said he
CURLY.
"What then, Reggie?"
of you must know, it lay next my
heart till it Eithered, then l locked its
dead petals away in the place where my
commission lies, my mothers lock o.
hair, my Egyptian medals, and the few
treasures l possess"
'To place mere pretty bouquet in
such repository, WIGS surely foolish,
Reggie?" said she, affecting to ignore ell
that his words 50 distinctly implied; but
now that she was engaged, the worst he
could know was kroWn-the death Of all
his fond fancies; and death he thought
was better than daily dying ss he had
been, SO he stTaightforwsrdly questioned
her on the subject.
"Yes-Horace has asked me TO marry
him." said Amy, looking down.
"And-snd your"
CONSENTED, dear Reggie, OF course.
love him so," she replied, with 8 fond
bright smile, and yet nervously withal
"Don't you congratulate me?" she asked
after pause.
He was silent and pale-frozen as 4
were, for a moment or two.
"Sn it is settled thingi" he asked
cs!r but through his set teeth.
eyes"
"And when is the-the happy dsy?" ht
asked again, with the same strangely
calm manner, as he produced his tobacco
pouch.
"Your hands tremble, Reggie-sllog
me to make up your cigarette, as l St
often do"
"Thsnks."
He put it b tween his lips and tried tC
smoke, forgetting to light it, after sh,
had made it up for him, deity and pref
tily, as her slender fingers had otter
done playfully in the past.
"You asked me something" she said
with growing confusion.
"Yes-When is the happy day to be?'
at is too soon to talk OF that; l mus
have time to think it over plenty 0
time-before we fix on anything. On
how strange, how new it all seems"
"Of course," said he, with curiou
smile, "such events don't happen ever,
day"
"You must not ask me more Just now
l have so much to do, so much to thin
about" and then she tripped away, re
lieVed that the ice was broken, that Reg
hkIC N dG LGSk-hLICU IuC WOlSL uOW
While he thought:
"Oh, why an l spared 10 live? WI,
did l not perish at Suakim? Why spared
as Carlisle has it, to travel
"A long, long road of pain, my dear.
4, a long road full of pain, -"
After this ne courted solitude nor
than ever, and would pass hours il
silence, often with book to cloak it
!, r.. H1l
, sometimes upside down; and her affec
tionate heart was wrung with sorrow q
she watched him.
"Unless We can rouse him, Dick" sh
said TO her boy-brother, che will get fu1
ther than ever from the chance, II any, c
recovery. He seems to become NOR
melancholy and more gloomy every day !!
But in this reference 20 Reginald Tal
bot, we are anticipating another portion
. of our story-the misunderstanding be
tween Melanie and Lonsdale.
CHAPTER XIV HOW 1T CAME ABOUT.
We left Montague Lonsdale mile O
more above the place where he wss t
have met melanie, stretched among til
scented grass, with g cigar between hi
: teeth, his hands under his head, his stray
hist tilted well over his eyes, which were f.
ed on the branches and blue sky above, an
his heart full Of angry thoughts about III
stste of his love affair.
The place WAS solitary, SIS it was sbov
Abingdon, with its old bridge and rec
r tiled houses, and where the river become
: nsvjgable by barges, and he wGs in
, silent nook OF the stream; that could s
the worst only be Unidentified with house
2 boats, old Lighthouses, and GREEN'S
water tumbliDg over the messy piles an
. sluices OF an snCient Weir, or humbl
thatcber's cottage, surrounded oy ta
/ blue flowers and smothered under rose
7 and creepers.
Suddenly there was sound close
t him-aa exclamation-and the tall fg
r ure Of a young lady appeared by his side
r Hilda Tremayne, in q most becomin
e country costume of bright-colored wot
crepe, Zouave-shsped jacket, or bodice
:, q piquante hat, and large sunshad
t which she twirled with her well-glove
8 little hand as 1t rested on her sheulde
4 | R,,n - ~.